Dr. Bednarsek and her colleagues estimated that the percentage of pteropods in this region with dissolving shells due to ocean acidification has doubled in the nearshore habitat since the pre-industrial era and is on track to triple by 2050 when coastal waters become 70 percent more corrosive than in the pre-industrial era due to human - caused ocean acidification. (climate.gov)
Bednaršek, N., G. A. Tarling, D. C. E. Bakker, S. Fielding, E. M. Jones, H. J. Venables, P. Ward, A. Kuzirian, B. Lézé, R. A. Feely, and E. J. Murphy, 2012: Extensive dissolution of live pteropods in the Southern Ocean. (nca2014.globalchange.gov)
As a complement to model projections, coauthor Fabry from the Department of Biological Sciences at California State University San Marcos, set up two - day shipboard experiments and demonstrated how shells of live pteropods did actually start to dissolve in these experiments that reached the corrosive conditions that are projected to occur by 2100. (dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com)